TRP: Hansel and Ripley (Team)
IZZY: ''' [SETTING: The day after the Diva fight. Hansel left the estate, telling Mishka he wanted to check on a few businesses and people, to see if they'd made it through. After making these rounds, he refocused on specifically trying to find Jonn. The problem, unfortunately, is that he knows nothing about the Skyport Thieves that Jonn works for. Total dead end. Stumped for the moment, he decided to head back out of the extremely-shady part of Skyport and back to the port district, which was his particular type of shady, for a drink and to mull this problem over. Good or bad luck, it was some sort of luck, he guessed, that the bar he walked into had a familiar face at the bar: Ripley. He hadn't seen much of her since the whole ... thing. Been more focused on Mishka, and on Roddy, keeping Nixie and Goro in his periphery. For someone who'd recently been under Diva's control and then murdered and brought back, she seemed to be handling the whole thing pretty fuckin' well. He debated for a moment before joining her at the bar, nodding to her. "Hey, dead woman." If anyone in their group would take that the way he meant it and not break down over it, he figured it'd be her. "How's things?" '''COYOTE: Joan jumped a little, then winced. Ah, fuck. For a big guy, he'd somehow managed to sneak up on her. She'd spent all day trying to convince herself she ought to go talk to him, then deciding nah, she was just gonna get on a boat and travel several days in the opposite direction. She wasn't sure how to fuckin' ask these things or talk about them. (Maybe she oughta hire somebody to do that for her.) "I'd like to say 'better than being dead,' but honestly it was pretty fucking relaxing," Joan said. "Nobody sneaking into my office in the middle of the night, blowing up trolls, or extorting my employees. Hey, uh. How's your kid? He make it through okay?" IZZY: ''' Hansel shrugged, waved down the barkeep. "Your guess is as good as mine. Little shit's missing." He'd been fine the entire time. Didn't seem likely he would have made it all the way to the night before they killed Diva and then something would have happened to him. He was just -- being difficult. Yeah. He took a drink. "Y'know, I was curious about the being dead thing." He left the comment open so she would ignore it or brush it away, if she didn't want to talk about it. '''COYOTE: "What of it?" IZZY: ''' "Relaxing, huh? Sounds nice." He shrugged again. '''COYOTE: "Yeah." She paused. "Huh, that probably sounds nuts. Listen, y'know all those supersitutions about gods and such? Those are, uh, true. Well, okay, not all of them, but sometimes my god speaks to me--" Nah, that still sounded crazy. Joan paused. "Nevermind. Anyway, I woke up in this.... place. It was glorious, and loud, and bawdy, and..." And some of her dead brothers and sisters from the Temple had been there. Joan's grip on the mug tightened. The man who'd taught her to use a sword... some of the acolytes she'd grown up with... a child who'd died in the fire at the Temple... They were strangers to her now, and hadn't recognized her. It had been unsettling. Joan shrugged. "I'm glad to be back. I always figured I was okay with dying, but once I got there I realized maybe I wasn't done here yet." IZZY: ''' "Huh." Her god's afterlife seemed ... well, it seemed like it'd fit her. That was good. He'd never subscribed to any of the gods, himself. Didn't know what that'd mean for him. Maybe it meant he'd just get nothing. That sounded comforting, though, somehow. He set his drink down. "Io, right? Warrior goddess? She speaks to you?" '''COYOTE: "Sometimes." Joan eyed him. Seemed like he was genuinely asking. "They can, they just don't normally bother, I figure. Io spoke to me a couple times after--" She waved her hand. "Uh, all the others died, I guess. It's a long fucking story." Joan had been keeping it secret a while, but now she kind of felt like it was out, and Fred knew she was coming for him. "I was on guard duty one night at the Temple of Io," Joan said shortly. "And somebody paid me to step aside and fuck off for the night, so I did. And I came back the next morning and found the whole place burnt to the ground with everyone inside. I killed them, I fucking guess. And... after that, I suppose I was the only fucking one left, so Io didn't have much to do or many folks to chat with. It probably isn't as interesting as you think. I walked into the desert and figured I'd die there. And then I collapsed, and... I heard a voice telling me to get up. Wasn't a long conversation." Joan shuddered. Chills went down her back. Io's voice had been unnatural, like steel ringing on steel. "Fucking creepy. Anyway, I walked the direction she told me, and.... there was an oasis. I figure that means it must've been Io talking."(edited) IZZY: ''' "Huh," he said again, more slowly this time, looking at his drink instead of at Joan. "Must be nice, having a god that looks after you like that. Used to know this cleric who said her goddess sent her visions, but I always thought she was full of shit 'til some of them came true. Still. Didn't keep her alive, though." He wasn't sure how he'd thought this conversation was going to go, opening with 'so how was being dead?', but he didn't particularly enjoy it anymore. He took a long drink, emptying his mug. "So. Anyway. Graverunners. You gonna keep doing that?" '''COYOTE: "Yeah. I think so, yeah." Joan waved her hand at the bar. "I'm going to fix the headquarters, repair it, start up again. Bigger this time. You guys can do what you want, though, I don't think you need my supervision anymore. I came into town to check around, see if any of the other recruits were around. Looks like all the hires I had before were scared off. Skipped town, murdered by Diva, murdered by the Church, in jail, laying low, or just plain not fucking interested anymore. To my surprise, though, we got lots more suddenly ready to join up. Word has spread it was you guys who killed Diva. The rumors are already getting a bit exaggerated. Welcome to some small measure of fame." She jerked her chin at a few women on the corner who were chatting excitedly and glancing in their direction. Then she set down her drink. "Hey, uh. What the fuck did Mishka do to you?" IZZY: ''' He snorted. "Which time?" '''COYOTE: Joan almost laughed, but the sound died in her throat. She'd checked into some of her people, quietly, before they joined. Hansel had this dead-eyed look sometimes that put a pit in her gut. She focused on the bar so she didn't have to look directly at him. "Look, you can tell me to fuck off if you want. But, y'know. He's your-- fuckin' ex-husband, right? I check into people I hire. The talk on the docks was that he was your captain-- until the day he sold the ship. And a year later, you drifted into port with a ghost ship and no crew but bones and bodies and gristle." Once she started talking, it was hard to cut off. "And then I hear this weird fucking rumor-- started by Mishka-- that you'd eaten your crew. And then Mishka approaches me later, says he wants to be pals. So I told him to fuck off. I'd heard the rumors about that shady motherfucker and didn't want any part of it. What'd he do? I mean..." She shifted uncomfortably. "I figured it was bad," she said, looking at him from the corners of her eyes. "And now it seems like you're... around him again. I mean, what the fuck? I'm not judging, just-- if you need help, y'know. If he's fucking doing something to you again. He's got a reputation for... weird, fucked-up mind control magic." She wanted to like Mishka, but she wasn't sure she could like somebody who was fucking with someone in her crew. IZZY: ''' Hansel laughed, without much humor, absently tonguing the empty space where his right tusk had been. "Nah. No mind control." Not on him -- not as far as he'd ever know. But it was a fair guess. He wasn't surprised Ripley had looked into him. Or that she'd heard the basically-true rumor Mishka had spread around. In his letters he'd said he wanted to see Hansel hanged, and Hansel wasn't sure how hard he'd actually tried to make that happen, pin something else on him since Skyport couldn't convict people for crimes done at sea. "Yeah. He was my captain. Eight years. Husband for one, about. Shame you didn't buddy up to him when he asked. Probably woulda made shit easier down the road," he commented, filling the air as he debated what he should tell her. It didn't seem to matter to her -- hadn't all this time -- if Mishka was telling the truth, but then maybe she'd just assumed he wasn't. He did have that face. "Anyway, no. I don't need help. He just tried to kill me a few times. Y'know. Normal pirate marriage shit. I'm over it." '''COYOTE: Joan laughed. She wasn't sure if she should be concerned or not. "Yeah, okay," she said. "I don't fucking get it, but... you don't gotta explain to me. Hey, if he fucks with you again." She probably ought to say, explicitly, she'd be take his side and punch Mishka in the face again even if Hansel ate several pirate crews. Maybe it went without saying. Maybe Hansel already figured. Either way, Joan wasn't saying it out loud. The thing was, she got the impression that if Mishka turned on her, Hansel would be right there with him. Which was fine. That was fair. "He's pretty fucking personably when he wants to be," Joan said shortly. "I like him and I'd prefer to be pals. It's just-- look, I know it's fucking useless asking you this, because you'd probably just... fucking lie for him... but to your knowledge, he really is on our side, right?" Joan had a bad taste in her mouth. Mishka had been really close with the Spymaster before the poor fuck got assassinated. Or 'took a fall down the stairs and broke her neck,' or whatever they ended up calling the blatant murder. The Spymaster probably thought Mishka was on her side, too. IZZY: ''' "I don't fuckin' lie, Joan." The barkeep refilled his mug. "Never been any good at it. But I think Mishka's on my side, again, at least for now." He shrugged. "That's all I can tell you about him. Be fuckin' honest with you, though -- I don't work for you anymore. I got no interest in fighting you, but there ain't an 'our side'." '''COYOTE: Joan kicked up her feet on the small sill beneath the bar and looked at him. Well, whatever she did, that was probably a fair reaction to it. "What'd I do?" IZZY: ''' He considered for a moment. He knew the moment Ripley had lost his loyalty. The anger over that had died down, but it left a scar that wouldn't fade. "Y'know, I really like your kid. Fuckin' Goro. I knew that motherfucker for what, about three weeks, and he went with me to break into Mishka's house to save my kid. Him and Roddy. We all knew how fuckin' dangerous Mishka was, and he went anyway, and the clever little fuck even thought about that scrying pool to give us an edge. If I'd been smart enough to ask him for more help, I probably wouldn't've fuckin' blown up my home and nearly killed everyone, too. "You told me it was too bad and my kid was just gonna have to die for the sake of your fucking airship." He took a drink. "Listen, I like you, Joan, and I'm real fuckin' glad you're not dead, but you don't get my loyalty. A sailor expects more from his captain, that's all." '''COYOTE: Joan considered her words carefully. Then decided—fuck it. “Listen. I should’ve said something about that a long time ago. I’m really fucking sorry, Hansel. “I know this ain’t gonna make it better,” she said. “But that isn’t what I meant. That we ought to just leave him to die. I’m really… fucking bad at talking, sometimes, but I should’ve talked more and gotten my point across. What I meant was that I couldn’t see a way out, not that we ought to just go get the blueprints and let Jonn die. What I meant was that I needed to think of something, or someone else needed to think of something—yeah, like Goro, he’s fucking clever, or one of the rest of you.” She tried to figure out how to put this delicately. “Your ex-husband. He’s a cunning little bitch.” Hm. “I like him—I mean, honestly, it’s impressive—but the thing he asks people to do, the thing he’s actually trying to do, and the thing it looks like he’s trying to do—those are never the same goddamn thing, for him. The only plan I could think of was walking to his goddamn house and sticking him with something pointy, and we both know that wouldn’t work, Hansel. For all I knew, that’s what he was trying to make us do: openly attack him. “I wouldn’t have left your kid to die,” she said. “I would’ve gone and fought Haeth, first, but that wouldn’t have worked, and even if we’d won, he would’ve given us a fake antidote, or—a million goddamn things, with him. And then—” She motioned. “And then you just stood up and goddamn left. And yeah, I knew right then I’d fucked it up. And yeah. I owe Goro. He fucking saved that one.” IZZY: ''' "He sure fucking did." Hansel took a drink. Thought for a beat. "Funny thing. Came out later -- Mishka says he wouldn't've let Jonn die, really. Said it under a truth serum, so I kinda gotta believe it. And y'know, it's probably a fault in my goddamn character, but I tend to believe you, too." He shrugged. "But you're right. Doesn't make things better. I'd've sold you out in a heartbeat to keep my kid safe. You don't want me working for you anyway." '''COYOTE: “I sure fucking do,” Ripley said. “Hansel, I swear to god, you are the only goddamn sane person on that team. Y’know, you—” She was fucking determined to say this. “Larkin Basha, she’s good at her job, and she’s got a spine made out of steel. Goro—he’s clever. Roddy, he’s practical and realistic. Nixie, she can blow shit up, and I’m pretty sure she’s some kind of evil mastermind deep down. Raef, he’s determined. Mormiir, he’s fearless.” She kept her voice low. “But you, you know, you’re just… fucking good with people. You see where people are weak and you step into support them without being asked, without a word, without anybody telling you to. I’ve seen you working with Roddy a few times. Nobody asked you to do that. I don’t think anybody on the team sees how much you’re holding. You do what needs to be done.” She shook her head. “And you care about your family. That ain’t a fucking flaw. You always have their backs. And you make sense. You make fucking sense to me. I’d do the same thing, y’know, I’d sell out my shitty fucking boss to save Goro, or to save Amari. I can respect that. And I don’t care if you ate a pirate crew or not.” Raef had already run off. Goro looked like he might bolt, too. She was pretty sure Roddy would go with Hansel. Mormiir went drinking and never came back—probably going to head to the nearest dwarf city as soon as the excavation finished. Larkin was probably already gone, back to her uncle. All of them were going to leave her. And she’d never gotten to just fucking sit down and talk to any of them. It was her own fault, though. She stood up. “If you want to quit, I won’t stop you. I respect your reasons. Maybe I’d quit, too.” IZZY: ''' "Shit, Ripley, you thought you could stop me?" Hansel gave her a grin. "I already fuckin' killed you once. How'd you think that was gonna go down?" He waved her back to her seat, running over the other shit she'd said. Good with people. That was fuckin' hilarious. Mishka had said something like that, but at least he'd had the good sense to seem puzzled about it, himself, as he'd said it. "Look. I said I fuckin' like you, all right. I'm not goin' anywhere -- I'm not leaving the others. We should fuckin' be friends --" he shrugged -- "you're just not my goddamn boss. That work for you?" '''COYOTE: "Hansel, I'm going to be honest. After you fucks saved my life twice in a row, I don't really feel like your goddamn boss anymore." IZZY: ''' He nodded, still smiling faintly. "Seems reasonable." Paused for a moment. "Listen, this is all I'm tryin' to get at, here -- I'm not on your side. We might be on the same side, most of the time, and I'd prefer that." He tried to figure out how to phrase this without it sounding bad, but really -- it seemed like Joan did get where he was coming from. "But there's not an 'our side' for Mishka to be on. He fuckin' likes you, you know?" He glanced at her. "He wants to be on your side. I wouldn't worry about him." '''COYOTE: Joan's smile faded, and she turned her head, looking askance. This was the problem she kept running into. The thing was: If Hansel said Mishka liked her, then Hansel probably genuinely believed that. Didn't guarantee it was true, though. There were no guarantees. If anyone had a good read on Mishka, it was probably Hansel. Maybe she was just being paranoid.(edited) IZZY: ''' Hansel studied for for a moment, then looked back to his drink and downed it. "Anyway. I gotta find my kid. Thanks for the concern. Shame you didn't say it when it would've mattered." He pushed himself. "Always good to see you, Joan." He turned to leave, raising a hand over his shoulder. November 14, 2018 '''COYOTE: Joan rubbed her face. She'd come seeking some kind of reassurance Mishka wasn't going to kill her or fuck her over. Or some kind of information, at least, some insight that would help her move forward. Instead, the only new information she had was that Hansel was not, in fact, on her side. It stung. But she didn't need him to treat her with kid gloves. At least he was honest. She wasn't sure where this left them. It was fair, but... it left her with no footing. She it aside. Maybe he didn't have her back anymore, but that was fine. She'd still have his. It was an unexpected snag, realizing the only lead she had was -- apparently -- a bridge she hadn't realized she'd burned. She disliked the idea of having to go to Goro to help with Mishka; he'd already done enough, and the poor fuck looked... worn. Maybe it was time to just go to Mishka and lay it out. Ask Mishka directly what exactly he was offering to help with, and what exactly he expected in exchange. She might just have to accept the fact Mishka might fuck her over. “Thanks,” she said. “For the information. I'm gonna talk to your...” She looked for the right word and couldn't find one. "Mishka. For the record, I like him too, I just don't fuckin' want to." She almost offered to buy him a drink later, but she dropped it and left it alone. She set coins on the counter for her food, then headed for the door behind him. END Category:Text Roleplay